#pg 62

Before we can agree that someone is overreacting, we have to agree on the standard to which we're comparing them. […] the standard I prefer to use is the size of the feeling. A big reaction to a big feeling isn't an overreaction—it's an accurate reaction. It's only overreacting if it's a big reaction to a small feeling, because then it isn't communicating how the person really feels. I believe, for those of us who experience life intensely, that under-reacting is much more common. We start out reacting proportionately to our feelings as children, then dampen our expressiveness over time when it repeatedly gets labeled as an overreaction. Still, there are days when I lack the strength to dampen anything, and it all comes out.